The five best players at the European Under-21 Championships - including Chelsea and Man City starlets

With England crowned champions for the first time since 1984 without even conceding a goal, the European Under-21 Championships have come to a close – but which of the gifted youngsters on display made the biggest impression in front of the world’s scouts?

Most of the players in the England squad were already well known to seasoned Premier League fans, but there were plenty of less starry players who made a splash in Romania and Georgia – many of whom we may well hear a great deal more about over the coming years.

Here, then, are five of the best performers from the Under-21 Euros – ranging from established future stars to breakout players who ply their trade in countries like Russia and Israel. Not every player who sparkles on this stage goes on to great success, but the hit rate is pretty high, so these are definitely young men to keep a close eye on over the next few seasons.

Levi Colwill – England

Anthony Gordon may have been given the official player of the tournament award, but there were several standout performers on England’s unblemished run to victory. Morgan Gibbs-White, James Trafford and captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis were all outstanding, but Chelsea defender Colwill may well have been the best of the lot.

Having made his name on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion last season, Colwill has already been the subject of substantial transfer speculation and seems to be expected to play plenty more games at Stamford Bridge this coming year should he stay – and he gave Chelsea fans a tantalising glimpse of the future with a series of mature and assured displays at the back which were complemented by his ball control, intelligent passing and ability to move play swiftly upfield. A huge talent who could easily become a key man in the senior squad in years to come – once Gareth Southgate gets round to dropping Harry Maguire, anyway.

Daniel Peretz – Israel

Israel’s surprise run to the semi-finals owed a great deal to Peretz’s heroics between the sticks, with the Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper keeping crucial clean sheets against the Czech Republic and co-hosts Georgia before saving two penalties in the shootout against the latter.

Arguably his best game, however, was against Germany, the defending champions – who were held to a 1-1 draw by Israel despite having a man sent off. Sadly for his side, he was suspended for the semi-final against England and unable to repeat the trick as England ran out comfortable winners. Likely to be seen in a bigger league soon having already made his debut for the senior national side and having put in some big performances in the Europa Conference League last campaign.

Kastriot Imeri – Switzerland

The most expensive player in the history of the Swiss Challenge League, 23-year-old Imeri has been steadily growing his reputation as a high-class midfielder since moving to Young Boys last summer and is another player who has already earned a senior cap, so his superb showings for the Swiss weren’t exactly a huge shock.

That said, his sublime goal against Italy, scored when his side were 3-0 down to a high-class Italian team, was still pretty stunning – and may just start putting his name on the map outside of his home country. A creative midfielder with impressive technique and an increasing eye for goal, Imeri is the kind of midfielder who seems to pop up everywhere on the pitch and who makes things happen. Evidently…

Saba Sazonov – Georgia

With Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia helping to put Georgia’s name back on the footballing map over the last couple of years, there was quite a bit of hype for a few of the host nation’s attacking players – but it was the defenders that really made the difference as they came top of a group which included Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Sazonov, who was born in St. Petersburg and plays for Dynamo Moscow, was arguably the pick of the bunch. A right-sided centre-back who was equally comfortable filling in behind the onrushing wing-backs, his positional awareness and unwillingness to give an inch were hugely impressive. He’s been linked with a move to 2.Bundesliga side Hamburger SV recently, but could have some more suitors after some titanic performances on home soil.

Sergio Gómez – Spain

There were several seriously exciting players in the Spanish side that fell just short in Batumi, but none played better than Manchester City’s Gómez. Coming off the back of a season in which he made 12 senior appearances for the Premier League champions following an £11m move from Anderlecht, he maintained his momentum with a series of sparkling showings – even if he did become something of a meme after the final thanks to his downcast expression as he was handed the tournament’s Golden Boot award.

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His effortless curled strike in the semi-final win over Ukraine was perhaps the highlight, but that was just one of five goal contributions as he rampaged down Spain’s left wing and tore opposing defences apart with his sharp passing and smart movement. A gem of a player with a bright future ahead of him and, by the look of it, the faith of Pep Guardiola. Could be a star in a few years.